Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Alderman Emma Edhem, Alderman Prem Goyal and Deputy Clare James.

There were no declarations.

To consider the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting of the Reference Sub-Committee held on 17 October 2019.

RESOLVED,that the minutes of the meeting of the Reference Sub-Committee held on 17 October 2019, be approved as an accurate record.

To consider the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting of the Finance Sub-Committee held on 17 October 2019.

RESOLVED,that the minutes of the meeting of the Finance Sub-Committee held on 17 October 2019, be approved as an accurate record.

Report of the Town Clerk.

In considering the Schedule of Standing Items, Governors agreed to add the City of London School for Girls Risk Register as a standing item for all future meetings.

It was noted that the annual Repairs, Maintenance and Improvement Fund report (including the school’s 20-year RM&I plan) would be reported annually to the Finance and Estates Sub-Committee in late Autumn prior to consideration by the Board of Governors.

RESOLVED, that the Schedule of Standing Items be updated to reflect Governors’ comments.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Governors considered the Terms of Reference of the Finance and Estates Sub-Committee and agreed that the Board of Governors be requested to agree the following amendments:

·         Terms of Reference, second paragraph to be amended to state:

“To agree arrears of school fees, sabbatical leave for posts up to the level of SMT and associated cost estimates (with power to act) and repairs and maintenance expenditure within agreed budgets, as well as other such matters as the Board may from time to time decide for the year ensuing.”

·         Terms of Reference, third paragraph references to “School’s property” to be amended to “operational property.”

RESOLVED, that the Board of Governors of the City of London School for Girls be requested to agree the proposed amendments to the Terms of Reference of the Finance and Estates Sub-Committee.  

Report of the Headmistress.

Governors considered a report of the Headmistress providing a compliance update and the following points were noted:

·         The City of London School for Girls had appointed a Compliance Manager, shared with the City of London School, to provide additional capacity to deal with the increasingly complex compliance requirements in schools.  The Compliance Manager was now in post and was working to coordinate levels of compliance across key areas of the School’s functions including meeting the requirements of the Independent Schools Standards Regulations, health and safety, fire safety, human resources and risk management.

·         The Chairman identified two areas within the School’s detailed risk register where the RAG risk rating had increased which comprised CLSG-06: Breakdown in Health and Safety Policies Results in Harm and Reputational Damage for which a range audits had been undertaken, and CLSG-07: Maintenance of Buildings and Site which had arisen as a result of the Summer Works 2019 programme being incomplete.  The Compliance Manager confirmed that comprehensive action plans were in place to mitigate these risks and that progress would be reported to future meetings of the Finance and Estates Sub-Committee.  The Chairman requested that the detailed risk register be updated to include the action being taken to address each risk by the target date. 

·         Work was underway to review recommendations arising from recent audits on health and safety and fire safety by the City of London Corporation and an external fire safety assessment which were expected to include a number of ‘quick wins’ as well as indicate areas where additional resource was required.  In response to a question from a Governor, the Bursar advised that robust evacuation plans were in place in case of fire.  The School was held to different standards of fire safety than residential properties but there were no outstanding actions on fire

Joint Report of the Chamberlain and the Bursar.

Governors considered a joint report of the Chamberlain and Bursar presenting the Risk Register 2019-20 for the City of London School for Girls Bursary Fund incorporating the City of London School for Girls Scholarships and Prizes Fund and the following points were noted:

·         A proposal to merge the Schools’ Bursary Fund and Scholarships and Prizes Fund to maximise the efficient use of these funds was in development and would be considered by the Finance and Estates Committee in due course.

·         The Chairman requested that a report giving more detail on Risk 1: The Income from Investments in the Charities Pool may Decline be provided to the next meeting of the Finance and Estates Sub-Committee on 20 May 2020.

RESOLVED, that:

·         Members’ comments on the Risk Register 2019-20 for the City of London School for Girls Bursary Fund incorporating the City of London School for Girls Scholarships and Prizes Fund be noted; and,

·         The Board of Governors of the City of London School for Girls be requested to review and confirm that the register satisfactorily set out the risks facing the charity and that appropriate measures were in place to mitigate those risks.

There were no questions.

There was no other urgent business.

MOTION - That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED, that under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

To consider the non-public minutes of the meeting of the Reference Sub-Committee held on 17 October 2019.

RESOLVED,that the non-public minutes of the meeting of the Reference Sub-Committee held on 17 October 2019, be approved as an accurate record.

To consider the non-public minutes of the meeting of the Finance Sub-Committee held on 17 October 2019.

RESOLVED,that the non-public minutes of the meeting of the Finance Sub-Committee held on 17 October 2019, be approved as an accurate record.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Governors considered a report of the Town Clerk outlining non-public Outstanding Actions.

Report of the Headmistress.

Governors considered a report of the Headmistress regarding the management of arrears of fees at the City of London School for Girls for the Autumn 2019 term.

Joint report of the Chamberlain and the Bursar.

Governors considered a joint report of the Chamberlain and the Bursar on the Financial Information Dashboard.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Governors received a report of the Town Clerk regarding an action taken under urgent authority since the last meeting.

Report of the Headmistress.

Governors considered a report of the Headmistress setting out the emerging estate strategy for the City of London School for Girls.

The Headmistress to be heard.

Governors heard the Headmistress on the Year 13 Leavers’ Ceremony 2020.

There were no questions.

There was one item of urgent business.

Report of the Headmistress.

(Appendix 1 – Review of Staffing Structure and Appendix 3 – Sheet B – To Follow)

Governors considered a report of the Headmistress on the staffing structure.

Report of the Headmistress.

Governors considered a report of the Headmistress on the benchmarking review of the City of London School for Girls and the following points were noted: